A Flickering Flame
by PanBelacqua
Summary: Pyre Fierceshot's legacy continues to resound amongst the charr, and he's hailed as a revolutionary. Like all heroes, he has a story, and this is his tale: from his start in the Flame Legion, to the birth of his son. From the Fierce warband, built of exiles, to the birth of his granddaughter, this is the tale of Pyre Fierceshot, his son, and Kalla Scorchrazor.


**1058 After Exodus:**

Flames licked the sky, and Flame Legionnaires stalked the ground. The camps were rather makeshift, hides shoddily thrown across groups of sticks, forming rough shelters. The charr retaking of Ascalon was a perpetual drain on their resources, and next-to-nothing was expended in the building of shelters.

Outside one of these ramshackle "towns", if they could even be called that, Vatlaaw Doomtooth stood, bow angled towards the sky. Whistling acted as harbingers, while meaty slices played the part of heralding the arrow's arrival in the human carcasses used for target practice. By his side, his son, now fully matured, at nineteen years of age, notched three arrows, splayed at varying angles. Vatlaaw looked at the orange-y "cub", clearly dubious. Vatlaaw had been known to hit six targets in a veritable Barrage of arrows, though this was a rather rare ability, and even within his own lineage, he didn't place unwarranted stock in the abilities of others.

Jab. Stab. Thwack. All three arrows found their targets, Pyre's Triple Shot being perfectly executed. Upon closer examination, the brown-furred charr discovered that all three arrows were firmly embedded in the chest cavities of the corpses, firmly lacerating the hearts of each Ascalonian. A firm thump upon his son's leather armour was the extent of Vatlaaw's congratulation. He didn't particularly believe in excess, being a transfer from the Ash Legion. Now, he found himself in Flame, along with Pyre.

The tawny-furred charr strapped his bow to his back, and made to follow his father back to the Flame camp. They soon found them immersed in the roughness of charr society. Males came up to Vatlaaw, asking him of the current state of affairs, perpetually hoping for some good news regarding the downfall of the Ascalonians, and, eventually, the campaigns against the Krytans and Orrians. Perhaps even the Elonians and Canthans, though each of those would have to come in turn. To each, Vatlaaw grinned, showing off serrated teeth, and growled out some mindlessly hopefully morale-booster, spreading that sadistic smile to all those he talked to. Others inquired on the state of the "cub", and how his archery practices were coming along. Of course, Vatlaaw gave detailed answers, though they were never perfect. "He shows definite promise, has since the fahrar, but the strength of his shots could use some work."

Pyre took each subtle recommendation in turn, vowing to excel in the charr militia, and bring about the downfall of Ascalon. His father was a notable Flame Primus Centurion. Within the charr military, legionnaires commanded single warbands, as both a leader, and as a part of them. Centurions controlled three to five warbands, and legionnaires reported to them. Primus Centurions were one step above, and had Centurions reporting to them. A Primus Centurion controlled scores of warbands. Primus Centurions were close to the pinnacle of the charr pecking order, coming only second to the Imperators of each of the Four High Legions: Flame, Blood, Ash, and Iron. Lastly, the Imperators reported to the Khan-Ur, the ultimate leader of the charr. However, the last confirmed Khan-Ur had died long ago, leaving the legions in somewhat of a disarray. Currently, the Flame Imperator served as Khan-Ur, as Flame was the dominant Legion.

Of the males, still more inquired as to Pyre's "mated" status. Females were subservient in charr society, as, generations ago, one had very nearly assassinated the Flame Imperator, and their gender, prone to brash decisions, were removed from combat, and forced to serve as domestics, alongside children too young to enter the fahrar, and those members of charr society who were incapable of fighting. Elderly veterans on the other hand, were regarded with respect, as they'd done their part in the long-lasting Ascalonian campaign, to retake their homelands from the invasive humans. Females obviously couldn't just be banished from the society, as they were still needed for breeding. Some males chose to stick with a single partner, while others spread their offspring amongst as many females as they could. Usually, a male would have a partner (or several) by the age of sixteen, two years younger than humans who entered the Ascalon Academy. This was both intended as showing off to the humans, that charr maturity was hit before the equivalent of the human one, and as a device for boosting the charr population, to the effect of pouring ever-more soldiers at the Great Northern Wall, always with the purpose of tearing it down.

However, Pyre was nineteen years of age, and had yet to mate. Some attributed this to some complex, or weakness on his part. In all honesty, the teenaged charr had simply felt that he hadn't the time. The Great Northern Wall still stood, he had to practice his archery skills, if he hoped to match his father, and, being the son of a Primus Centurion, especially one from the dominant Legion, he constantly felt the pressure to make public appearances.

Nonetheless, as he was laying to rest on a pile of hides, the stars of the Tyrian sky stretching out, seemingly for the taking, his father growled "You need to find yourself a mate. It's your duty as the son of a Primus Centurion.", and with that, he was off to rest as well. The sentence was a command, not a request, that much was obvious, and it was equally obvious that it was expected to be imminent. Pyre resolved himself to a few more days of putting up with the Wall's looming presence, and curled up, tail wrapped resignedly around himself.


End file.
